Orange Ink Covered Valentines
by spazmoid
Summary: There were no words on the card, just a heart scribbled in still wet ink. Other than that it was just an ordinary heart cut from cheap orange construction paper.


**Title:: **"Orange Ink Covered Valentines"

**Fandom:: **South Park (cartoon)

**Pairing:: **McTucker (Kenny and Craig)

* * *

Craig Tucker hated valentines. He hated them even more on Valentine's Day. The numerous little cards and candies from stalking secret admirers. He hated them almost as much as their eyes welled up with tears as he simply said, "Our feelings are not mutual" or maybe just a simplistic "No."

He detested chocolate and marshmallows and anything filled with sugar and sweetness. He did not always, but he had grown to prefer a nice box of Red Hots and spicy salsa chips as he sat and watched his favourite show Red Racer on the couch. The sweetest thing he would put in his mouth was a Pop-Tart and he rarely even ate those. Ruby was always eating them whenever she was in a PMS mode which was pretty often.

He had memorised every tired line uttered from chapped lips as well as the ones smothered in various flavoured lip glosses.

_"I've been watching yo_u _for a while, and-"_

_"I know you might not like me, but-"_

_"I love you."_

Those three little words were what irritated him the most. The idiotic morons that followed him like blind sheep uttered the phrase ever so often in blasphemy to the four-letter word. Craig opened his locker and released a flood of red, pink, and lace free from their metallic restrictions inside the small locker. They spilt onto the floor and pooled around his feet. Craig bent down, picking up each one and carrying them in his arms. He ignored eyes that stared at him as he passed. Whether they pitied or envied, he did not really care.

He went to the bathroom and locked himself inside a stall with the valentines. He carefully ripped each paper heart and tossed each lollipop and chocolate, every single small little sweettart heart with its simplistic one to three word phrases. He listened to each plink and splash and flushed them all down with one swift tug. He watched them disappear in a swirl of brilliant red, a lone ribbon of lace hanging off the edge of the seat helplessly until it was too choked down by the resisting sputtering toilet.

He washed his hand of the inks and the glue and the glitter. He washed away any sympathy he held for the people who tried this every year only to fail. He dried off his hands on his dark blue jacket and wandered out the bathroom to return to his locker.

A flash of orange fluttered out, landing at his feet along with the pitter of Red Hots trying to escape their cardboard prison. Craig picked it up. There were no words on the card, just a heart scribbled in still wet ink. Other than that it was just an ordinary heart cut from cheap orange construction paper.

Craig's face remained deadpanned as he slung his backpack over his shoulders and took the hot candies and card in hand. If you would have watched him closely you would be able to see him slightly jogging toward the school doors as he shoved his way out into the cold fresh air of South Park.

His feet left tracks in the greying snow he broke into a run. He did not stop until he reached the house with the broken window panes and the garden of old and forgotten beer bottles. He ignored the yelling, arguing, and the shattering of dishware, not bothering to knock on the beat down door. Instead he walked over to the side of the house where a dusty window laced in cobwebs. He used a cardboard box as a stepping stool and tapped lightly on the glass.

The bright orange curtains parted revealing curious pale blue eyes. They stared at him a bit before a mischevious grin joined them. "Hey Crai-"

Craig silenced him before he dared to utter even another syllable. He placed one hand on each side of Kenny's face, stealing whatever Kenny had wanted to say with his tongue and lips. He pulled away, face still deadpanned and revealing nothing as he held up the box of Red Hots and little orange heart as explanation.

Kenny gave him that same lop-sided grin, but this time there was something else behind it. It made Craig want to say all those words he detested. That short four-letter forbidden word was the first thing that crossed his mind. Instead he covered it up with a cough and a look that revealed nothing.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

Kenny laughed pulling Craig in the rest of the way into his room, carrying him and depositing the protesting boy on the bed. Craig looked up at him, his eyes revealing an odd mixture of embarrassment, happiness, and irritation. All of those feelings disappeared, turning into a blank contented nothingness as Kenny leant down and kissed him softly and gently on the lips, tongue darting in only after several minutes. "Happy Valentine's Day Craig."


End file.
